Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting First deer! (or 'Getting Lucky in Kentucky')

Hey, everyone,

Well, had a successful first deer hunt on my brother-in-law's land back home in Kentucky. We went out yesterday morning and he set me up in a stand with a view of a mix of pasture and woods. I hadn't been able to sight my rifle in since changing the scope, so he loaned me a rifle. A pre-64 Winchester model 70 30-06!!! (what a cool brother-in-law, eh?) Anyway, it turned out that the stand was of course, set up for a right-handed shooter, and I'm a lefty. This really cut down on the area I had for a shot, but it worked out.

At daybreak, I swore I heard every deer in the county coming toward me in the leaves. Turned out to be about 4 squirrels making an amazing amount of noise rooting around. A few minutes later, I thought a helicopter was landing. That turned out to be a flock of turkeys coming down from their roost. Right about then, I saw movement in the brush, and saw a small buck, looked to be maybe a 6 pointer, move through an opening between two evergreens. I set up watching the next opening, but he never showed ... he turned and walked straight away from me, keeping that evergreen between us!

A little later, I heard some movement on hill behind me and turned. I saw two young antlerless deer (a button buck and a doe) moving out of the woods in an area that I could shoot at, but a right-hander wouldn't have been able to. The button buck paused near a large puddle about 50 yards away, and I put the crosshairs just behind the shoulder and fired. The deer jumped and ran off a little ways and I lost sight of him. I got down from the stand and walked toward the place where I shot him. There about 15 yards away a deer was standing looking at me. I wasn't sure if it was the doe or if I had just wounded the buck. My brother-in-law was looking for a young doe for tender meat anyway, and we have a large family that definitely won't waste the meat. So either way, whether it was the doe, or a wounded buck, I decided to shoot. It turned out to be the doe, and I threw the Winchester up and shot her quartering away. She ran off a ways and fell, and then I saw the first one. They were both dead within about 10 yards of each other.

The little buck was hit right where I thought, a double lung shot that took out a rib going in, and exited. Huge blood trail. As I said, the doe had been quartering away. I hit her near the rear of the rib cage, and the bullet destroyed her heart and exited from the off-side shoulder. Now we have them hanging in the shed, and I can't wait for the grilled tenderloins we're going to have in a few days!

So, this has been just great. I always wanted to hunt deer when I was younger, but never got the chance. Better late than never ... and I'm looking forward to doing this again. Also, I have a great brother-in-law who 1) lets me hunt his land; 2) loaned me a great, classic rifle; 3) taught me how to field dress a deer (he did the first while I watched, then coached me through dressing the second one myself). Being in the woods at daybreak, seeing everything start to wake up and move around as the glow spread through the sky, and successfully bringing home my first (and second) deer ... it was just amazing.

I'm going to go out and sight in my Ruger #1 RSI 7x57 that I brought, and hunt a few more time looking for something with antlers (between the license and my bonus tag, I can take one more antlerless and one antlered deer if I want to). Between the family and friends, that meat won't be wasted either. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Here are pictures, first of me with the button buck, then of the two together:



If I get an antlered buck, I'll post again ...

Regards,
Liam

Meat on the pole....Gotta Love it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

HBB

Congratulations ..... you'll never forget your first ....

Congratulations,
What part of KY were you hunting? Those deer might have been neighbors of mine.

Congrats!

Now, go get that RSI sighted in, and you'll be set. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey there,

Western KY ... Graves County, near Symsonia.

Thanks!
Liam

congrats! I can't see the pics though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Congrat's. two good looking deer!!

First and second deer(?)

Nicely done Liam, nicely done......

Congrats to a fellow Washingtonian!!

Thanks guys!

VA, I zeroed the RSI today, and will head out with it once or twice before the season ends on Sunday. It'd be cool to blood it with my first antlered deer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> If I don't see anything, though, that's okay. There's plenty of meat in the freezer, and the tenderloins are going to marinate starting tomorrow ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Man, those two young deer are tender!

Liam

Graves County should be full of deer. I have hunted in Daviess County, and Ohio County, but I don't think I have spent any time in a stand in Graves. You are about as West as you can get.

Good luck with your antlered tag.

Welcome home and congrat's on your successful deer hunt! I'd say that big smile on your face pretty much say's it all. Hope your season ends with you scoring a nice antlered buck.

Many moons ago when my Dad worked on the construction of Oak Ridge nuke facility we lived a short while in Wingo, Ky., later on we moved up to Paducah where I started 1st grade at Lone Oak Elem.

Nice goin' Liam. Nice rifle, I took 2 with the same rifle this year so far, mine's a 1953 M70 in '06. Keep it away from Steelhead, he'll try to destroy it out of sheer angst <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />---2MG

Nicely done. It also looks dry, which you can't say for Washington deer hunting. Is the M-70 a Featherweight?


Okie John

Nice goin' and congrats on the deer. Hopefully you get a chance with your Ruger

Hey, Okie John,

Yep, very dry. And yep, the 70 is a featherweight, with a Leupold 4.5-14. My brother in law shoots 3 into about 1.25 inches at 200 yards with it. Wish it was left-handed ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Going out with the Ruger after a buck early in the morning ... wish me luck!

Liam

nothing better than young tender meat. Congratulations Sir

Good luck.


Okie John

Very cool..........